The Mammoth Book of Hollywood Scandals (56 page)

As the 1970s turned into the 1980s things only got worse, and the couple separated and later divorced. The separation threw the singer into a deep depression. After discovering that his ex-wife had cut down his favourite trees at their home, he lost his temper, picked up a chainsaw and proceeded to saw through the kitchen table and the former marital bed. He apparently only stopped when the blades got jammed by the sheets, which forced him to cease his destructive endeavour.

It would seem that the divorce from Annie was the beginning of a particularly sad downturn for John Denver, during which time he lost his father and wondered where he was going in his life. It was also during this time that he wanted to fulfil a dream of being the first civilian in space, and after taking and passing examinations at NASA, it looked certain that he would be included in the mission. In the end, however, John was not part of the programme and he did not get his wish to head off into the solar system. This would turn out to be a bittersweet development, as the shuttle intended for John’s trip was
Challenger
, which exploded during take-off in 1986, shocking the world. John was devastated by the tragic events and wrote a song entitled “Flying for Me” about the ill-fated shuttle and the astronauts who lost their lives.

Still, in spite of the sadness recently experienced in his life, John did manage to find temporary happiness when he went to Australia and fell in love with a young singer called Cassandra, who was almost twenty years his junior. She travelled back to the United States with him and became one of his backing singers, going on the road and even writing songs with him. Two and a half years later they married, and despite a previous diagnosis of being unable to have children, John shortly after became a father to a baby girl, Jesse Belle.

The three settled down to a peaceful family life together; for a while at least, until – as had happened with Annie before – John and Cassandra started rowing regularly, which resulted in them eventually separating. Describing divorce as “just the most awful thing in the world”, he told a British newspaper that he wasn’t sure he’d ever get over it and couldn’t imagine getting married again. There then followed a period of great sadness for Denver, as his record sales plummeted, he lost his recording contract and entered a period of psychoanalysis in order to figure out, once and for all, who he really was. Unfortunately, while he seemed determined to settle down and still remain a good father to his little girl, scandal dogged him from many corners. His ex-wife Cassy once told an interviewer that John Denver was a bully who drank every night, threatened her and was determined to take their little girl away.

The two fought for custody, and though Cassy ultimately won, it cost millions of dollars finally to get the situation under control. Denver retaliated to Cassy’s claims by saying that during the marriage she had managed to “make a fool of me from one end of the valley to the other”. There was no going back romantically for either of them, but by the time John died in 1997, they were apparently back on speaking terms, with John buying a home close to hers and seeing his daughter as often as his touring schedule would allow.

In 1993 John hit the headlines when he was pulled over after his 1963 Porsche was seen weaving across the road. He was breathalyzed and found to be over the limit, later pleading guilty to a drink-driving charge which shocked his fans around the world. Until that moment in time, John Denver had always been known as something of a peace-loving hippy who had never been in trouble in his life. It was only after the publication of his autobiography,
Take Me Home
(1994), that fans got to find out that he had dabbled with drugs during his early days.

As a result of the charge he undertook community service and saw his driving licence suspended, but this was nothing compared to a year later, on 21 August 1994, when he was once again charged with driving under the influence after he accidentally crashed his car into a tree. Witnesses claimed that the singer had been drinking whisky in a bar as if it were lemonade, and while the physical injuries were minor, the whole incident was enough to send the singer into rehab. “I wasn’t really an alcoholic,” he later told a British newspaper, “but I was losing control.” The trial for this particular misdemeanour resulted in a hung jury in 1996 and was still being sorted out by the time he passed away a year later.

John Denver was a keen pilot and his father taught him how to fly in the mid-1970s. For both men this had been a cathartic experience, something they could finally relate to and understand. The singer became known for flying himself to concerts and investing in a series of planes which included a Christen Eagle aerobatic model, and two Cessna 210s. However, it would be this love for planes that ultimately cost Denver his life, when on 12 October 1997 he crashed into the water at Monterey Bay, California.

That morning the singer told friends he was in for a great day, as he would be firstly putting in a few rounds of golf, and secondly taking out his new experimental Rutan Long-EZ plane in order to fly up and down the California coast. He was excited to pick up the plane and, after practising a few takeoffs and landings, he then headed off at 5.12 p.m. for what he planned to be a one-hour flight. Not long afterwards, however, the airport control tower told the singer they could not track him very well and suggested he change to a different radio frequency. He did as he was told and asked the operator, “Do you have it now?” These would be the last words ever spoken by John Denver.

After it had been flying for a short while, witnesses saw the plane doing manoeuvres that they took to be some kind of aerobatic display. The plane also made noises as if it were back-firing, and then suddenly it began going up and down, then side to side, before finally nose-diving, crashing into the sea with a tremendous noise. Pieces of the plane shattered around the once calm water, and witnesses froze in terror at what they had just seen before rushing to their homes to telephone for medical assistance. Sadly, it was not only impossible to save Denver’s life but also, because of the nature of the accident, it was initially difficult even to ascertain that he was the pilot. However, after a brief investigation by police, identification was made and an official announcement came that the singer had, indeed, sadly died.

Over the days, weeks and months ahead, there would be many rumours as to how or why John Denver’s plane crashed. Some cited pilot error; others said that he should not have been in the air in the first place as he no longer had the medical certificate that was required for such flights. Then others said there must have been something technically wrong with the plane for it to have crashed so suddenly; and when a gun was said to have been found in John’s car, others wondered if the accident had been a deliberate attempt to kill himself.

However, putting aside the wilder rumours and conspiracy theories, it would seem that it is possible that the accident could be linked to John Denver’s inexperience of flying this particular style of plane. The craft was said to have been built with the critical fuel control valve behind the pilot, rather than in the more common position in front. According to one theory, it is possible that at some point the plane started to splutter as if it were running out of gas and Denver tried to reach behind to get to the fuel control valve, which he was apparently unable to see without looking over his shoulder. While the details of his last moments can only be guessed at, it would make sense that in order to get to the valve, Denver may have released the plane controls for a moment as he turned around to reach over his shoulder, losing control of the aircraft as he did so.

The aftermath of John Denver’s death showed the same effect as the deaths of other musicians: an increase in his record sales and various tributes paid, listing his accomplishments and the positive impact he had on the music industry as a whole. Just a few years before, John had spoken candidly about his lack of a record deal and his soured relationship with the industry; of the sadness felt when DJs refused to play his records. After his passing, some of the same people who had treated him as a has-been such a short time before were proclaiming their admiration for his talents now; it took his death for some people to realize just how much John Denver had given to the world of music.

Throughout the course of Denver’s life, a strong theme of flying, nature, water and adventure was always present. He sang of leaving on a jet plane; of sunshine, eagles, mountains, and sky; he wanted peace in his life by living in the country and being at one with nature. Perhaps it is fitting that the man who always wanted to fly and experience the natural world to the full passed away doing exactly what he loved. It may have been untimely; it may have been tragic; but it was a strangely prophetic way to go and, for some, this makes his music even more meaningful.

In the 1980s there was no bigger “boy band” than Wham! George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were the imaginary boyfriends of millions of teenage girls who would sing along to songs such as “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “I’m Your Man” and “Freedom”. As Wham! the two men toured the world, becoming big not only in the UK but the lucrative United States too, and even made history by playing a concert in China, back then an honour bestowed on very few Western groups. By the time they decided to break up, they were so popular that their final concert was held at a packed-out Wembley Stadium and women wept in the audience as it became apparent that this was indeed goodbye.

However, while George Michael was desired by legions of female fans, in reality he was only ever publicly attached to three women: actress Brooke Shields, model Pat Fernandez and make-up artist Kathy Jeung. The reason for this is now clear. George was keeping a secret from the world: he is gay.

After the members of Wham! had gone their separate ways, George Michael went on to enjoy huge success as a solo artist; and his “I Want Your Sex” video, co-starring then girlfriend Kathy Jeung, became one of the most controversial clips ever made. Naked under discreetly placed sheets, the singer is seen blindfolding his partner and later writing the words “Explore” and “Monogamy” on her back.

The video made it look as though George was happily heterosexual, but in real life he knew he was attracted to men and often wondered if it was possible he could be bisexual. This theory was put to the test after meeting the man who became one of the biggest loves of Michael’s life, the fashion designer Anselmo Feleppa, and a deep friendship endured for two years until Anselmo sadly died in 1993, leaving a large gap in Michael’s life, which some say has never been filled.

Rumours started to circulate that George had been romantically involved with Feleppa during their friendship, though he refused to confirm it in public, but he did “come out” to his parents in a letter written shortly after his close friend’s death. For the next five years George publicly kept a low profile on the dating front. He had owned a house in Beverly Hills for some time and it was a well-known secret in Hollywood that he was gay, but to the world at large he was still very much heterosexual. That is until 7 April 1998 when he visited the Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills and his life changed forever.

Entering the public toilets, Michael was followed by an undercover policeman called Marcelo Rodriguez, who – unknown to George – was taking part in a sting operation. According to the singer in an MTV interview, “He started playing this game, which I think is called, ‘I’ll show you mine, you show me yours, and then when you show me yours, I’m going to nick you!’”

Within minutes of beginning the game of peep show in the toilet, George Michael was arrested for engaging in a lewd act and was eventually fined $810 and sentenced to eighty hours of community service. He had been well and truly outed to the world, and his arrest and true sexuality were now open for all to see. George was mortified but ultimately the incident was a freeing experience, enabling the singer to be himself for the first time in his adult life. Indeed, he took the entire event in good spirit and, instead of hiding, actually made fun of it in his video for the song “Outside”, which featured men dressed as policemen, kissing in public.

The video amused fans but outraged arresting officer Rodriguez, who claimed the video had mocked him. He also insisted that George Michael had slandered him in interviews, and was so upset that the matter went to court, only ending when it was determined that as a public official, Rodriguez was not entitled to recover damages for the distress he had suffered.

The public toilet incident was the end of George Michael’s days as a secret homosexual and he was now free to enjoy life as the partner of Kenny Goss, his long-time boyfriend. Unfortunately, the pair broke up after a series of other scandals hit the headlines during the latter part of the 2000s . . .

In 2006 George Michael caused a hold-up in a London street when he reportedly fell asleep in his vehicle at some traffic lights. He was arrested for possession of class C drugs, and then, later in the year, he was accused of engaging in public sex, this time on Hampstead Heath in London. His troubles did not stop there, however, as in 2010 he accidentally drove his car into the front of a Snappy Snaps photography shop in North London and was charged with possession of cannabis and driving while unfit. After pleading guilty he was sent to prison on 14 September for eight weeks (although he eventually only served four). He also had to pay a fine and was slapped with a five-year ban from driving.

In early 2011 George Michael spoke about his prison sentence on Chris Evan’s BBC Radio 2 breakfast show. Explaining that he believed it was karma, he admitted that he felt he did deserve to be punished: “It’s so much easier to take any form of punishment if you believe you actually deserve it, and I did,” he candidly said.

Although initially sent to the notorious Pentonville Prison in London, Michael was eventually transferred to Highpoint open jail in Suffolk, where he is said to have given his autograph to every prisoner and staff member who asked for it. He also signed a guitar for an inmate and when he realized that he was signing on the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the new millennium, it became a poignant moment. “It’s like the clock rolling round to the end of something,” he said. “Tomorrow I start again.”